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How one wellness program dropout found success her second time around

For most of her life, Lisa Adams has struggled with her weight. As is the story for many people, trying to shed weight and keep it off is a familiar cycle of weight lost, regained, lost again, regained, and so on.

Adams, chair of the Science Department at Homer-Center High School, has tried almost every diet that’s come across her radar, including Atkins, keto and intermittent fasting. None of those diets had a lasting impact on her weight loss and well-being -— rather, they left her frustrated and right back where she started. So, when she was approached with the opportunity to participate in the BodPod program at Homer-Center, she was skeptical but decided to give it a go.

On Target Health’s BodPod is an egg-shaped device that provides the most accurate readouts about body fat, lean mass and body weight. BodPod is focused on reducing body fat percentage, which in turn can help to reduce certain health risks including the potential for heart disease.

When Adams initially participated in the program, her biometric readouts indicated she had a slow metabolism. She was shocked to learn her recommended daily caloric intake was only 1,000 calories — largely due to that slow metabolism. She initially thought the calorie count was far from adequate, but went ahead and followed the recommendation.

Over the next four months, Adams lost some weight, but not as much as she had thought she would. Two months later, in January 2018, she underwent surgery to donate a kidney. Post-op complications hindered her weight loss plans further, with her metabolic rate dropping even lower following the procedure. Everything she ate turned to fat and, frustrated with the lack of progress, she dropped out of BodPod.

“I’ve always been a person who wanted the magic bullet for weight loss,” she says. “I’ve struggled with it most of my life and initially looked at BodPod as the magic bullet. When weight didn’t melt off, I became frustrated.”

Once she dropped out, Adams says her plan was to lose weight on her own and then flaunt that she didn’t need the BodPod. She was hoping to use all of the successful aspects of diets she had previously tried; however, she soon learned she couldn’t do it on her own, and the struggle continued.

“I’d done nothing but gain weight according to the Lisa Adams weight loss plan,” she quips.

In June of this year, Adams and other Homer-Center staff members who had previously participated in the BodPod program were invited to try it again. She found little had changed: Her metabolism was still low and she was once again given a 1,000 calorie restriction. This time, though, instead of fighting the plan, she embraced it and followed through with the recommendation.

“‘Trust the process’ was my motto for this,” she says.

So far on this second go-around, trusting in the process has been paying off. Adams has lost 10 pounds of fat and gained two pounds of muscle, and her metabolism has quickened, allowing her to increase her daily caloric intake. Looking back at her reluctance to follow through the first time, Adams has accepted she didn’t know as much about dieting and food consumption as she thought she did.

Following through with the BodPod recommendation puts Adams one step closer to meeting her goal of getting back to her “wedding weight.” By embracing the program, Adams says she has enjoyed the options provided, including education about different types of eating plans, the online support system and the hands-on assistance from program staffers.

“There’s no guesswork with the BodPod. They have everything you need to hit your goal, whether it’s losing weight, maintaining your weight or even gaining weight,” she says.

With the new school year about to begin, Adams thinks the pounds might come off faster. Over the summer, she was surrounded by food all day because she was home. When she gets back to school, she will be on a tight schedule.

“I think I will be able to stick to everything once school begins,” she says.